Can head and method of hermetically sealing filled cans



- Aug. 14, 1934, w. H. BROOKS- cm READ AND minim 0F HBRIIETICALLY SEALING FILLED ems Filed Sept. '22. 1932 ATTORN Patented Aug.'14, 1934 p I V r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN HEAD AND METHOD OF HERMETI- CALLY SEALING FILLED CANS William H. Brooks, 'Oconomowoc, Wia, alsignor to Carnation Company, Oconomowoc, mm, a corporation of Delaware Application September 22, 1932, Serial No. 634,324 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-44) This invention relates to can heads and a metharound the edges thereof and preventing oxidaod of hermetically sealing filled cans. tion of the metal. In one embodiment of the Heretofore, in the automatic machine filling invention, t s fl hg material is applied in the and sealing of cans such as are used as containform of a film which also extends across and ers for food products of various kinds, it has closes the vent hole to prevent the entrance of been the practice to provide one of the can ends dust or dirt to the interior of the can while the or heads with a. filling or vent hole which, after p y cans are d in storagethe can has been filled and said head applied and wi h the b v and h r j ts n vi w, h secured to the can body, is then se led by first invention consists in the improved can head, and

10 applying a fluxing agent around the edges of the in the new method of hermetically sealing filled hole for uniting a solder to the metallic head of ans, as w ll be r aft r m fu y d s d. the can, whereby said vent hole is hermetically illust a ed in the pa y drawing and sealed. In this automatic tipping or sealing 0psllbscqllehfly 'p d t subjoincd claimseration, it not infrequently happens that imper- In the drawing whe I a s w p 15 feet sealing result from the inability of the flux fen-ed embodiment of my improved can head, and to de-oxidize the surface of the can at the edge in which similar reference characters designate of the filling or vent hole by reason of the presponding Parts throughout the several ence of foreign matter, such as the overflow of views, the contents of the can, excessive oxidation of Figure 1 is a plan View of the can head showthe oil coating on cans usually made from tin ing the solder fluxing material as applied thereplate, or from rust occasioned by long exposure to in the manufacture of the cans; of the metal of the can to moisture laden air. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line )--2 In such cases, the proper sealing of the cans is of Fig. 1 showing the filling hole of the can head rendered very diflicult. sealed by the solder;

25 It isthe primary object and purpose ofmypres- F g. 3 s 8- VicW lar o F 1 showing aent invention to eliminate the above difiiculties, further embodiment Of the invention in which and secure a more positive and reliable tipping e flux mate ial extends in a film Over the vent or sealing of the vent holes of the cans while 11016 of the can head, and enabling such operation to be very rapidly exe Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 cuted by the automatic tipping machines. To this of Fig. 3. end, my new method consists in applying a. flux- In carrying out my present invention, the cans ing substance prior to filling the can to the surin accordance with one well lmown process of face of the part to which the sealing solder is to manufacture, consist of the usual cylindrical be applied, in order thereby to prevent contamiody of tin and ends or heads having marginal 35 nation of such surface by the contents of the rims which are soldered to the ends of the can can. The fluxing substance is preferably of a y-. One of these heads, herein indicated genprotective nature, not greatly altered by age or a y a is centrally Provided with t filling contact with the metal of the can, and preferably 11018 6 adap to be hermetically sealed after the applied during or immediately after fabrication an h s been fi d s as to Preserve and Protect 49 of the can. the contents thereof and enable the same to be An additional object of the invention is to ta d n edible condition a prolonged avoid the contamination of food, medical and pure p d f timc- This scaling of the filling chemical substances usually packed in sealed con- Vent holes s accomplished y automatic ipp tainers, by applying to the clean surface of the scaling machines of a typ Well known container head directly after manufacture, a mild art. in which a fluxing agent material is first fluxing substance, in the absence of which, after p d to e metal can d u d th hole such surface has been soiled by age or overflow and the Solder then pp d and thus p flh y of the contents, 2. much more corrosive and powunited to the meta-1cm My present invenerful fluxing agent is required, small quantities tion difiers from this usual practice, in that the 50 of which will seriously contaminate the contents can d 5 in the manufacture thereof 15 P of the can. vided with the plasticized fluxing material in- My invention also has for a further object to dicatcdat 7 around the edges of the hole If provide as a new article of manufacture, such desired, this fluxing material maybe deposited a can head or end having a filling and/or vent app i the form of film indicated at 7 m 55 hole therein and the fluxing material applied i 3 and 4 of the drawi w i extends Over and completeLv-closes the hole, thereby excluding dust or dirt from the interior of the can while the cans are in storage. In filling the can, the central portion or the film '7 is, 0! course, first removed. In both cases, this fiuxing material also serves to prevent oxidation of the metal can head around the edges of the hole, such oxidation having been found under the present practice to seriously impair the proper application of the fiuxing material and thereby render the final sealing of the hole in the automatic tipping machines more or less diiilcult.

By the provision of the pre-fiuxed can head, after the can has been filled with the commodity, a very positive and reliable soldering and sealing of the filling or vent hole is obtained in the automatic tipping machine.

From the above description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, the nature of my present invention and its several advantages in practical use will be clearly and fully understood. By means thereof, it will be evident that the operation of hermetically sealing the filling or vent holes of cans such as are used in vending various food commodities may be very rapidly and accurately executed, insuring the complete protection 01' the contents of the cans, and appreciably reducing operation cost in connection with this step in the packaging and vending of food stuffs. While the invention as herein disclosed is of very simple character, it is nevertheless possible that variations in such disclosures may be resorted to while substantially procuring all the advantageous results. Accordlily, it is to be understood that in practice, I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: Y

l. A method or filling and sealing cans which consists in first providing one head of the can with a hole, then applying a soldering fiux to the can head around the edge of said hole, then filling the can, and finally applying the solder to the previously fiuxed can head to seal the hole.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a one piece can head having a hole thereon, and a solder fiuxing material on the can head extending in a film over said hole and closing the same.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a can adapted to be filled and having a filling opening in the head wall thereot, and a coating of solder fiuxing material on the external surface of the can at the edge of said opening and adapted to protect the edge of the opening from contamination and adapted to coact with the subsequently applied .sealing means for said opening to permanently unite the same with the can wall after the can has been filled. g

WILLIAM H. BROOKS. 

